Middle School Emotional Problems May Result from Weight-Based Discrimination, Not Weight
Promoting body acceptance and weight diversity can be helpful not only for supporting recovery from eating disorders but also for reducing the risk of emotional problems for all teens. In a study published in September in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Jaana Juvonen and colleagues found that perception of weight-based peer discrimination in middle school contributed more than BMI to emotional problems. They also found that the effect of BMI itself on emotional problems in middle school is indirect, as it is mediated by peer mistreatment.